A rocking animal is a favorite toy for children. Exciting movements can be obtained based on the skill and intrepidity of the rider. A young rider can achieve an increasing skill level as a function of the rider's own growth and desires.
However, these riding toys (conventionally "rocking horses") can have points of instability or obtain sudden movements in recovering from unusual attitudes. The traditional rocking horse, for example, includes an animal body mounted above a pair of curved parallel rocker elements having only two ground contact areas. If the rocking movement becomes too large, the tipping moment can become greater than righting moment and the unit will suddenly upend.
One approach to stability is to mount the animal figure on a stationary platform. Thus, animal figures have been suspended by springs from a stationary base frame. This rocking horse can act suddenly and, on occasion, violently to input movements by the rider, even to the point of dislodging the rider.
A stabilizing improvement is to mount the animal body on lever arms pivoted from the stationary frame. Opposed synchronizing bars may be attached to the lever arms. Pivoting a lever arm then produces synchronized rotation of all the lever arms to produce controlled movement of the animal body in substantially a swinging movement. However, this movement is not believed to be esthetically or adventureously pleasing.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, however, and an improved rocking apparatus is provided for obtaining a rocking-type motion and particularly for a toy for riding by children in a safe, but exciting, manner.